Standard or conventional Blackjack is known in the prior art of casino card games. In conventional Blackjack, sometimes referred to “21”, played throughout casinos in the United States, each player makes a wager and the dealer deals two cards to each player to define an initial player holding and two cards to himself defining a dealer's initial holding. The cards may be dealt from a single, standard deck of 52 playing cards (Ace–King in the suits of Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades), or from multiple decks such as by being dealt from a “shoe” configured to initially hold up to, for example, six standard decks of 52 cards each. The cards to the player(s) may be dealt face up or face down. For the dealer, in the traditional game, one of the dealer's cards of his initial holding is turned face up, typically the first card dealt to the dealer's hand. Each player, in turn, has the opportunity to complete his or her hand in a manner well known in the art. The object of the game is for the player to assemble a final hand which (1) has a higher count value than the dealer's final hand without the value exceeding a predetermined target value which, in traditional Blackjack, is 21. In this regard each player may exercise the following options:    1. To stand on the value of the initial holding making the initial holding the player's final holding;    2. Being dealt additional cards (taking “hits”) to try to achieve or come close to the target value of 21;    3. To “double down” (double his or her initial wager) which may be made, according to the casino's rules, only available when the count of the initial player hand is “10” or “11”;    4. To “split” card pairs, e.g. a pair of 8s of the initial holding into two hands and play each hand separately;    5. To “surrender” his or her hand by giving up half his or her wager (this to may not be permitted by some casino rules or only permitted when the dealer has a certain value of the exposed card; and/or    6. Take insurance by wagering an amount equal to the player's game wager and if the dealer has a “Natural” (a count in his initial hand of “21”), the player wins 2:1 and therefore, basically, does not win or lose.
As stated above the rules of traditional Blackjack regarding the player's actions are well known in the art.
Once the players have completed their hands, the dealer does as well by taking hits or standing according to well known rules. A variation included in those rules is that the dealer may be required to stand on a “soft 17” (i.e. a hand count of 17 including an Ace which counts as a “1” or an “11”). Other rules require the dealer to hit a soft “17”.
If the player exceeds the target value of “21” the player loses his or her wager regardless if the dealer also ultimately exceeds the target value of 21. If the player's hand does not exceed the target value and (1) his hand has a value exceeding the dealer or (2) the dealer exceeds the target value, the player wins and is paid 1:1 on his game wager. If the dealer does not exceed the target value and his hand has a greater value than the player's final hand, the player loses his or her wager. If player's and dealer's final hand values are the same, it is a tie (or “push”) and the player neither wins nor loses.
In traditional Blackjack the hand values are based upon a card valuing schedule as follows:
CardValueAce1 or 11K, Q, J, 10102–9card value
It has also been known to program a computer for a player to play the game against the computer. Hand held, electronic, Blackjack game devices have also been known.
Regarding the constituency of the deck of cards, it has been known to add additional cards to a standard deck and modify the play rules. For example in Wichinsky, U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,375 issued Mar. 27, 2001, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, there is disclosed a Blackjack game where the deck used for play consists of the standard 52 cards with additional 11 and 12 value cards of each suit for a full compliment of 60 cards and where splits are either completely disallowed or only allowed to avoid an automatic loss. The addition of the 11 and 12 value cards provides the player with an opportunity to obtain a two card “21” with an Ace or 10 value card and thus, according to the referenced provides, for side wager options.
Players are continually seeking more entertaining card games to play. From a casino standpoint, such enterprises are seeking new games which (1) will draw players because of exciting, challenging or rewarding game features and (2) provide the casino with additional revenue sources from the game such as by providing side wagers.
There is a need for an improved Blackjack-style game which has features including (1) being different and more exciting than standard Blackjack, (2) which refers to the known rules of Blackjack and thereby is familiar to players and easy to understand and which provides the players and the casino with additional and novel wagering propositions which are determined during the normal course of play.